‘Call to Compassion’ rally urges structural reform, aid to the needy in Denver

Denver, Colo., Apr 22, 2004 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Catholic Charities Denver has invited elected officials and public citizens to answer a call to compassion this Saturday at an all-day rally that will seek to urge elected officials to keep the poor and marginalized within society in mind when they address policy issues.

Call to Compassion: A Rally for Our Neighbors in Need was organized along with the Colorado Catholic Conference Northern Colorado Legislative Network.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver will lead the rally, which is to be held on the west steps of the State Capitol from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Other speakers include James H. Mauck, president of Catholic Charities Denver, and Rev. David Williams of Abyssinian Christian Church.

Over the last three years, Colorado’s budget cuts have negatively affected programs that service the poor, needy and marginalized. Without fiscal structural reform, rally organizers say, the current situation will not improve.

"The moral test of any society is how it treats the least among us," said Timothy Dore, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference. "The rally is an opportunity to remind elected officials as well as all of us that we must show compassion toward all human life and the common good when voting, at the State Capitol or in the voting booth on Election Day."

Approximately 4,600 Coloradans, who are disabled and unable to work, had their modest monthly stipend dramatically reduced when the budget to the Aid to the Needy Disabled Program was cut in half in the 2003-2004 fiscal year, making it difficult for people to maintain proper housing and nutrition.